


Tales from Four Corners

by multilefaiye



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom, Original Work, Tales from the Gas Station
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Character(s) of Color, Cults, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Original Character, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Recreational Drug Use, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, bro i don't even know, imagine tales from the gas station but with different characters and a different plot, it's basically just all ocs, whats another wip to the pile
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:08:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24992074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multilefaiye/pseuds/multilefaiye
Summary: The Four Corners gas station, located in the heart of Casper and open 24 hours a day every day, is, in Addison’s opinion, one of the shittiest places on Earth.
Relationships: Original Character(s) & Original Character(s), Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Past relationships and future ones huehue
Comments: 8
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. I don't have an explanation for myself.
> 
> I promise I'll update my other WIPs eventually I just have a new hyperfixation and I need to chase it.
> 
> Also, those who've read my other fic Wasted will recognize the main character! That's because I love Addison, they're my baby, and I thought it'd be fun to include them here as the main character again. Because I like writing them. They're a li'l different here than in Wasted, but, y'know, same baby.
> 
> This fic will also feature several characters belonging to dear friends of mine who have given me permission to borrow them for this AU. I will give credit where credit's due when those characters appear, as well as give ya' links to check out their work 'cause they're all SUPER talented and sweet and I Love Them. Okay, gushing done let's get into this.
> 
> For the prologue, the character The Shade belongs to my dear friend Shadow, and Xavier Fareil belongs to my friend Spoods! Both of whom are here on ao3 :D
> 
> Shadow: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anexor  
> Spoods: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoods

The Four Corners gas station, located in the heart of Casper and open 24 hours a day every day, is, in Addison’s opinion, one of the shittiest places on Earth. It isn’t particularly special in its awfulness, but it’s awful all the same. There are large cracks in the floor that had been left to fester and grow until they became miniature canyons, filled with old food and spilled drink. The lights never seem to work properly, always flickering and going out when least expected. The whole store smells faintly like ammonia and bleach, as though someone is always trying to clean it but somehow failing.

Outside isn’t much better. The gas station is located right next to an immense forest, whose residents are brave enough to frequently approach the gas station and harass staff and customers alike. The raccoons are the worst offenders--bigger and meaner than most raccoons, they’re often caught gnawing on tires and ankles alike.

The owners of the gas station, Mrs. and Mrs. Summerfield, are rarely there to actually do any upkeep for the business. Instead, they trust their gaggle of employees to take care of the gas station. Those employees do the best with what they have, leading to plenty of earnest yet subpar fixes. Despite this, year after year, the health inspector sees fit to sign off on the business, turning a blind eye to duct-tape covered pipes and wet floor signs too faded to read.

On any given day, Four Corners is populated by the bare minimum number of people it takes to run the joint. Sometimes, the owners will be generous and schedule a third person, but those days are few and far between. The Summerfields prefer to keep their labor costs as low as possible, after all. Aside from any customers or animals who may happen to wander in, very rarely is there more than two or three people at a time in the gas station.

Well, that and the Shade.

The Shade, a black silhouette with white orbs for eyes that haunts the Four Corners bathroom, is one of many peculiarities about the gas station. As far as Addison can tell, the creature isn’t malicious. At worst, the Shade has hissed at a few customers, but they’ve never outright  _ attacked _ anyone. Addison isn’t even sure if the being exists; after all, the Shade only appears when a person is alone in the bathroom, and  _ they’ve _ personally never seen them.

But, really, though Four Corners is a truly terrible place, it isn’t any different from any other gas station. Sure, weird things happen sometimes, but they usually take care of themselves quickly enough. Nothing to get worked up about, especially not in Addison’s opinion. Really, like most retail jobs, the worst part of it is the customers.

Most patrons of Four Corners are out-of-towners, people passing through who need a quick fill-up for their cars or themselves. The actual citizens of Casper usually know better than to come to Four Corners, but there are some exceptions.

Some of the most loyal customers of the gas station come from the cult located deep in the woods nearby. The cultists, like the Shade, are harmless for the most part, and usually, the worst they do is try to recruit other customers to their doomsday religion. Thankfully, as long as Addison has worked there, no one’s actually taken them up on the offer. The cultists occasionally wander into the store to buy cigarettes and snacks before returning to their bunker. Addison isn’t sure if they’re  _ supposed _ to do that, but the cultists are polite enough so they don’t really care.

Aside from the cultists, the Casperites who  _ do _ choose to visit the gas station are usually all the same flavor of small-town boredom, but there are a few who stick out in Addison’s mind.

There’s old Mrs. Anastasia Mills, the old widow on Pumpkin Street. Anastasia’s husband Lazarus passed away several years ago due to unknown causes, and since then she’s been spending her children’s inheritance money on exorbitant sports cars that only take premium gas. She’s polite enough, though, and always leaves some money in the tip jar by the register, so Addison doesn’t judge. Anastasia once told Addison that she sincerely wished  _ they _ were her child instead of her actual children. To this day, they’re still not sure if that means she  _ really  _ likes them or just  _ really _ hates her kids.

Then there’s Romeo Buck, the veteran with a limp in his step and a constant scowl on his face. His old truck is older than Addison, and the fact that he’s kept the damn thing alive for so long is probably  _ the _ weirdest thing they’ve encountered in all their years working at the gas station. Romeo is one of Addison’s favorite customers. He’s stood up to rude out-of-towners for them more than once, and he tends to hang around the gas station just to make sure Addison’s okay. Addison once asked him why, and his only response was that “someone so small shouldn’t be out on their lonesome in this godforsaken place.” And, well, he wasn’t  _ quite _ right about Addison being alone, but they appreciated the thought.

And then there’s Xavier Fareil. Xavier Fareil is  _ probably _ the richest person in Casper, and Addison  _ should _ hate him on principle for that reason alone, but somehow they don’t. He’s a nice enough guy, but for some reason, every time he visits the gas station he flirts with Addison the whole time. They’re not offended or creeped out by it or anything--actually, it’s kinda flattering, if they’re honest. It’s just  _ weird _ . He always buys something, at least, but he seems far more interested in socializing with them than whatever he’s purchasing. One time, when the gas station was particularly empty, he spent a whole  _ hour _ talking with Addison, seemingly genuinely interested in getting to know them. It was  _ weird _ .

Besides customers, the one constant at Four Corners is its one and only full-time employee, Addison themself. Addison isn’t sure if the Summerfields are unable or simply unwilling to hire any more full-timers, but every other employee is only part-time, usually working a shift or two a week. Now, this isn’t to say that Addison  _ never _ leaves the gas station, but they’ve certainly had their fair share of full days when there were no part-timers available to give them a break.

Not that Addison really minds, all things considered. They don’t have much of a life outside of their work, as pathetic as it sounds, and earning a little more food money never hurt anyone.

They just wish things wouldn’t be so fucking  _ weird _ at the place all the time.


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO ANOTHER CHAPTER. Okay full disclosure I was going to wait a week or so before uploading the first real chapter but I got excited so here we go.
> 
> The first few chapters are just mainly going to be introducing characters, not too much plot just yet, but we'll get there... we'll get there...
> 
> Anyway, the friend I'm shouting out this time is the lovely and fantastic Skitzo! They're the owner of Bugs, and they were so kind as to let me borrow him. I love you, dude <3
> 
> You can find Skitzo on tumblr: https://deputy-alex-falls.tumblr.com/

It was a Saturday night, and as per usual, Addison was working. The night had been quiet so far, with only a few customers wandering into the gas station and even fewer actually buying anything before wandering out. Addison had no problem with that.

They were standing behind the counter, sorting the coins in the till by how shiny they were, when they heard the door chime to announce someone coming in. Addison looked up and smiled, about to give their typical customer service greeting--

But there was no one at the door.

Addison blinked a few times as they looked around the store, still unable to see anyone. There wasn’t even a shadow of a person.

They shook their head and went back to their coin sorting. Before they could so much as pick up a penny, they felt a breath on the back of their neck. Startled, they turned around to see--

_ Absolutely fucking nothing. _

A bit irritated by this point, Addison said loudly, “Look, I’m not in the mood for this. Buy something or fuck off.”

There was a pause, then a voice asked from somewhere in front of the counter, “Can I use the bathroom?” The voice was breathy and quiet, like nothing more than a whisper of the wind.

Addison sighed.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

There was a light shuffling and they heard the bathroom door open and close quickly. Then there was silence. Addison stared down the hall towards the bathroom for a moment before they shrugged and went back to their coin sorting.

Not their problem.

Eventually, the bathroom door opened and closed again. Addison looked up and, once again, saw fucking  _ nothing _ .

The voice spoke up.

“Aren’t you scared?” it asked. “I mean… I was trying to scare you.”

“You’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that,” Addison told the invisible stranger. “Trust me, I don’t scare easy.”

“Are you sure?” the voice asked again, this time from right behind them, hot breath ghosting against their neck.

“Very sure!” they snapped, shoving themself backward to knock away the person behind them. Except their back met nothing but air. They looked around wildly, eventually settling on the space right in front of them.

“Aw, man!” the voice said, taking on a whiny tone. “But I was trying so hard! Can’t you scream at least once? For me?”

“ _ No _ ,” Addison said sharply. “Now, buy something or fuck off.”

There was a loud, childish sigh, and then the door chimed again to indicate the invisible stranger had left. Addison stared at the front door for a moment before rolling their eyes. They went back to their sorting, only to realize there were seven less quarters in the pile than there had been a few minutes earlier.

_ Dammit. _

An hour or so later, the door chimed again to announce the arrival of another customer. Addison, who had already placed all the coins back in the till and mostly forgotten about their invisible visitor, looked up to see a familiar face. 

Standing there, his heterochromatic eyes red and a dopey smile on his face, was Bugs. His black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he was wearing a denim vest, a long-sleeve t-shirt, and a pair of well-worn jeans. As per usual, his face was covered in Band-Aids and bruises, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Bugs was one of the many cultists who frequented the gas station to buy chips and smoke weed in the bathroom. Addison didn’t actually know his name--they just called him Bugs because one time he told them, in excited detail, everything he knew about insects. Which was a surprising amount for someone living in a compound in the woods away from the Internet and the rest of society.

It wasn’t that Addison  _ hated _ Bugs or anything, and he was nice enough despite the cult thing, they just  _ really _ didn’t understand why he kept coming back. Half the time, he didn’t even buy anything, just chatted with Addison for hours. Sure, they appreciated the company, but they were running a business here, goddammit.

Bugs, as per usual, sauntered up to the counter with the confidence of a man who had done so a million times. And maybe he had, but who was counting?

“Heeeeeeey, Addy,” he said with a grin as he leaned against the counter. “How ya’ doin’?”

“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t call me that anymore,” Addison deadpanned. They expected his smile to fade, but he just continued smiling at them. Eventually, they sighed and said, “I’m fine.”

“Good!” Bugs said cheerfully. “Good. That’s good…” He trailed off, staring at a space behind Addison’s head. Before they could ask him what his deal was, he quickly came back to himself.

“Right, okay,” he said, lifting a hand to point at Addison. “You. You got any… you know.” Bugs made a vague gesture that made no sense to Addison. They stared blankly at him and he repeated it, waggling his hand back and forth and looking at them expectantly.

Finally, they said, “Chips are on aisle four.”

Bugs snapped his fingers and said, “That’s the bitch! Thank you, Addy!” He grinned at them before he turned and carefully made his way towards the chips aisle.

There, he spent a long time staring at the different options available--so long that Addison quickly lost interest and went back to doodling on unused receipt paper.

They didn’t know how much time passed before the door chimed again, announcing the arrival of another customer. Addison looked up to see not a customer, but one of the part-timers, a man with long brown hair, narrow brown eyes, and a short, scraggly beard. Jackson.

Addison’s ex.

_ Fuck. What the hell is he doing here? _ they thought as they quickly avoided eye contact, staring down at the doodle they’d done of a duck with human legs. As far as they knew, he wasn’t scheduled to work tonight, and he certainly wasn’t the type to come to Four Corners when he wasn’t scheduled to.

A quick glance confirmed that he seemed just as confused and upset to see them here as they were to see him. It also confirmed that he was wearing the nametag and orange shirt that made up Four Corners’s uniform.  _ Fuck _ .

He recovered quickly, though, and avoided looking directly at them as he walked past them and towards the backroom. When he was out of view, they visibly sagged in relief and let out a groan, placing their head in their hands.

It was no secret to anyone who worked at the gas station that Addison and Jackson didn’t like being around each other. Their breakup had been messy, to put it lightly, and they weren't subtle about their reluctance to be together. The owners knew it, too, but despite both’s repeated requests they constantly scheduled the two to work together. Addison would quit, but, well, they had bills to pay and jobs were hard to come by in Casper. As far as they knew, Jackson was in the same position.

A tapping on the counter startled Addison out of their thoughts and they looked up to see Bugs standing in front of them, holding a bag of off-brand cheese puffs. He smiled and set down the cheese puffs, and Addison signed and began to ring him up.

“That’ll be $4.68,” they told him. He fished a crumpled and stained five dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to them, still smiling at them. As they began counting out his change, he began to speak.

“You know,” Bugs said, idly tapping the counter with his fingers, “if you came with me back to the Gate, you wouldn’t have to see your ex anymore.”

“I’m not going with you to your compound,” Addison said, handing him his change. As he accepted it, he laughed, the same way a toddler might laugh.

“It’s not a compound!” he said through his giggling. “It’s a bunker!”

“Not much better.”

“There’s a diff’rence.”

“Sure there is. Do you want a bag for that?”

“Come on, Addy.” Bugs was still smiling, both hands on the counter as he leaned into Addison’s space and looked them directly in the eye (oh, how they  _ hated _ eye contact). “It’s safe there, and The Raven’s a nice guy--if I vouch for you I’m sure he’d let you stay-”

“I’m not interested,” Addison interrupted, their tone a bit sharper than they intended. Bugs’s smile faded and he frowned, looking like a kicked puppy as he backed away and took his hands off the counter.

They felt a little bad, but they weren’t going to join a cult anytime soon if they had anything to say about it. “Thanks for the invite, I guess, but no.”

“Not even to visit?” Bugs pressed, looking hopeful.

“Nope,” Addison said, handing him his bag of cheese puffs. “I’m not joining a cult, Bugs.”

Bugs’s nose wrinkled at the nickname. Under his breath, he muttered, “‘S not a cult.” Still, he took the cheese puffs and offered Addison a teasing smile. It seemed his bad mood was gone just as quickly as it had come.

“I’ll get you someday,” he said confidently, wagging a finger in their direction. And with that, he sauntered out, humming a tune to himself.

Addison stared after him for a moment before shaking their head and going back to their doodling.


	3. Chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO'S ON A ROLL WITH THIS... HAHA.... don't expect me to keep this up, I'm just really excited and the support I'm receiving from my friends in the AU discord is really making me go [heart emoji]. I love you guys... you know who you are.
> 
> Anyway, not too much Weird Shit happening this chapter, just some more exposition and character introductions! This time we're meeting the wonderful Aureus, who belongs to the incomparable Quinn <333
> 
> You can find Quinn on deviantart at deviantart.com/decadennce and on tumblr at aaureus.tumblr.com!
> 
> Also, I want to put a disclaimer here: it's going to be established further in future chapters, but the relationship between Addison and Aureus is only romantic/sexual now and neither saw the other in that light when Addison was in high school and underage. I don't condone teacher/student relationships, especially those involving teenagers. Addison and Aureus are two consenting adults who are on an equal playing field and neither has any significant power over the other and neither is able to take advantage of the other. Also, for now they're just friends... the romance will come later.

After Bugs left, Jackson came out of the backroom to tell them, while avoiding looking at them directly, that he was there to relieve them and their shift was over.

“I thought I was supposed to work till six,” Addison said in confusion. Jackson made a face.

“It  _ is _ six,” he replied. Addison squinted at him, then turned their attention to the clock on the back wall. He was right.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Jackson finally turned his head to look at them directly, his expression carefully neutral. Both of them were quiet for a second, and then Jackson spoke. “So… how have you been?”

Addison blinked at him

“Um,” they said, “I’ve been good.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t exactly the truth either. “Hoooow about you?”

“Good.” Jackson shuffled his feet slightly and crossed his arms, clearly uncomfortable. Addison wondered why he was actually talking to them, and they waited for him to continue. A beat passed, and he was silent.

“Well.” Addison cleared their throat. “I’m just gonna… go.” They gathered up the receipt paper they’d doodled on, intending to paste them into their sketchbook, and started to leave, when Jackson reached out and grabbed their arm at the elbow, lightly.

“Wait,” he said. “I need to say something.”  _ Oh no. _ He took a deep breath and then spoke. Addison flinched slightly, expecting the worst, and they saw a flash of something in his eyes.

“Look,” he said, “I’m… I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry.” Addison just stared at him, and he swallowed nervously. “I know things ended badly with us, but we had something good for a while there, right?”

“I guess,” Addison said, not wanting to be in this situation. Jackson frowned.

“Do you think we could… have that again someday, maybe?” he asked. Before Addison could reply, he quickly added, “I-I mean, I don’t wanna get back together, just… could we be friends?”

_ Wow, _ Addison hated this. They just wanted to go home, but now they had to stay and deal with this.

Addison took a deep breath before responding with, “Um, I guess.” They quickly looked away and added, “Can I go now? I gotta clock out.”

Jackson released their arm, a strangely sad expression on their face. “Yeah, sorry.” He ran a hand through his long, brown hair. “Um, have a nice day, Addison.”

“Yeah, you too.” They stood there for another long second before turning and quickly making their way to the back of the store to clock out and grab their coat and bag. The whole time, Jackson just stood there, watching them.

_ What the fuck. _

As Addison drove back into town in their beat-up old Toyota, they did their best to keep their thoughts from wandering to their relationship with Jackson, to the breakup only a few months old. They didn’t succeed.

Could they really forgive him enough to be friends again? They’d had such a good friendship before they got together, but could they ever have that kind of bond again? Would things ever be the same?

Addison realized with a start that they weren’t sure.

Before going home to their apartment, Addison decided to stop at The Hungry Jackrabbit, one of Casper’s finest local eateries. It was Addison’s favorite, if only because it was, by some miracle of chance, always open when they got off their shift.

When they arrived, as they expected, the parking lot was nearly empty. Aside from the owners and gaggle of employees, there were only a few customers willing to come at six in the goddamn morning for a sandwich. Addison just happened to be one of those people.

They left their bag in the car and walked inside, hands shoved deep into their coat’s pockets. Inside it was just as mostly-empty as the parking lot, with only a few customers sitting at the scattered tables.

When they walked through the door, they were immediately greeted by one of the store’s employees. She was a nice young woman with skin the same shade of warm brown as Addison’s and a floppy mess of black hair named Erin Crowe.

“Hey!” Erin called as they walked in, a wide grin on her face. “There you are, Addison! Was wondering when you’d walk in.”

“It’s only six,” Addison protested with a grin as they walked up to the counter.

“The usual?” Erin hummed, already setting about making Addison’s favorite, a chicken parmesan. They smiled back at her, genuine and warm.

“You know me so well,” they teased. “Thank you, Erin.” They fished their credit card out of their pocket and went to stand by the register and wait patiently. As they waited, they tapped their foot, humming to themself.

“Addison?” a voice asked behind them. This was nothing like the voice they’d heard earlier that night; it was a higher voice but still distinctly masculine, quiet and soft but still loud enough to be heard. It was familiar, in a sepia-toned nostalgia sort of way.

They turned their head to see a man sitting at one of the few tables in The Hungry Jackrabbit, in the middle of eating an egg sandwich. He was tall even sitting down, with wavy black hair tied in a ponytail and pale skin. His brown eyes were wide with surprise as he looked at Addison, and he had a cautious smile on his face and,  _ oh _ \--he had dimples.

Addison recognized him immediately, and a smile spread across their own face. “Mr. Morozov?” they asked in disbelief. Immediately, the man set down his sandwich and got to his feet.

“It is you!” he said as his smile grew, much more confident now. Mr. Morozov got to his feet and walked over to Addison, extending a hand. They shook it, surprised at how firm his grip was. “It’s so good to see you, Addison. It’s been, what, five years?”

“Yeah,” they replied. “It’s good to see you, too, sir.”

“Oh, no need to be so formal!” Mr. Morozov chuckled and his smile grew. “You’re not a student anymore, Addison, you can call me Aureus.” Addison wasn’t sure if they imagined it, but it seemed like Mr. Morozov--no,  _ Aureus _ \--winked at them as he spoke. Despite themself, they felt a slight flush spread across their cheeks.

Aureus had always been attractive to Addison, even in high school, in a distant sort of way. They’d never had a crush on him or anything, but they had  _ eyes _ . However, they’d never noticed until now how handsome he really was. Perhaps it was just because they were an adult and out of school now and could actually  _ act _ on that attraction. Or maybe it was just that they hadn’t seen him in years.

“A-Alright, Aureus,” they said, the name tasting strangely  _ right  _ on their tongue as they spoke. Right then, Erin chimed in, a mischievous smirk on her face and a glint in her amber eyes.

“Your order’s ready, Addison!” she chirped. Addison jumped slightly and their cheeks burned. They murmured an apology to Aureus and turned around to quickly pay and take their sandwich, leaving their change in the tip jar with a smile to Erin.

“I apologize if I’m being too forward,” Aureus said once they were done (Addison’s breath caught in their throat as they spoke-- _ was he hitting on them?? _ ), “but would you like to sit with me? I’d say we have some catching up to do.” His smile was warm and kind. “Of course, if you wouldn’t be comfortable with that, I understand. Now that we’re no longer teacher and student, I’d like to be friends.”

“Oh, y-yeah, I’d be fine with that,” Addison said quickly, trying to will their embarrassed flush down. Right, yes. He just wanted to be friends. He wasn’t hitting on them at all. It was fine.

They’d originally been intending to just take their sandwich and go home to eat, then pass out for the next several hours, but they figured this was probably the better course of action. More sociable and all that.

The two sat down at the table where Aureus had left his sandwich, Addison sitting across from their former teacher. He smiled at them and waited patiently for them to make themself comfortable before he began speaking.

“So how have you been?” he asked. “What have you been up to? I remember you wanted to apply for art school--how’s that?” Addison shifted uncomfortably and took a bite of their sandwich. It was delicious.

“Um,” they said once they’d swallowed their bite, “I didn’t… end up going. I just work at that gas station at the edge of town--Four Corners.” Aureus frowned, genuinely concerned.

“Why not?” he asked. “Addison, I can tell you that you have great potential as an artist and art school would be very beneficial for you if you’d like to make a career out of your skills.”

“Well, ah, school’s expensive,” Addison replied with a shrug. “Didn’t have the money for it, an’ I didn’t qualify for any loans or scholarships.” Aureus’s frown deepened and he winced sympathetically.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Addison,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with that, alright?” Aureus reached out and rested a hand on Addison’s arm, and their heart fluttered slightly at the comforting touch. “You don’t need school to succeed in this world, even as an artist. I believe you’ll be able to succeed in whatever you set out to do, Addison.”

“Thank you, si--Aureus,” Addison replied with a smile. He smiled gently at them, retracted his hand, and picked up his own sandwich, taking a bite.

For a moment, the two sat in silence as they ate their sandwiches. Then, Aureus spoke up again, his voice so earnest it made Addison smile around their food.

“By the way,” he said, “there’s nothing wrong with working at Four Corners. If you enjoy it and it earns you a decent living, there’s no problem.”

Addison didn’t have the heart to tell him how shitty the gas station was. It wasn’t that they hated their job, and it paid well enough, but… well, it was Four Corners.

“Thank you,” they said again, barely stifling a chuckle. They took another bite, chewing thoughtfully and swallowing quickly. “So, how have  _ you _ been?” they asked, hoping to change the subject. “I haven’t seen you around since I graduated.”

“Ah, well, I moved out of town for a while,” Aureus confessed. “I--well, um, you know I never exactly got along with Fenris, so I wanted to try and find a position with a more… agreeable work environment.” It was clear he was trying to find a way to be nice about it. “Unfortunately, though, I lost my job recently, so I had to move back.”

“Aw, I’m sorry about that, Aureus,” Addison said. Carefully, gently, they reached out with one hand to touch his arm the same way he had theirs, a silent gesture of comfort. He seemed a little surprised at first, but he smiled back at them. After a moment, they retracted their hand.

Then they realized they didn’t know who Fenris was.

Seemingly sensing their question, Aureus explained, “Fenris is Principal Azalea.”

“Oh. You call him by his first name?”

“Only when he can’t hear me.” Aureus smirked. Addison laughed, and soon Aureus was laughing, too.

It took a moment, but soon the pair calmed down.

“So Principal Azal--I mean, Fenris, he let you have your old position back?” Addison asked.

“Surprisingly, yes.” Aureus smiled ruefully. “Of course, I’m not paid as much as I used to be, but I’m just grateful I was allowed to come back.”

“I’m glad you were,” Addison said before they could stop themself. “I’m happy you’re back, Aureus.”

Aureus smiled warmly at them. “You know, I think I am, too.”


End file.
